Traction chain shoe



Jan. 26, 1954 A. MATHISEN TRACTION CHAIN SHOE Filed Aug. 25, 1952 N VEN T0 R fi waj lo M; W

Patented Jan. 26, 1954 2 '1 UNITED ESTATE Ii ''Claims priority, application Norway August 27, 1951 7. filaims.

1 .The presentinvention relatesto shoes-of the type adapted tobe used in connection with chains for the moving of vehicles, for thetransport of goods'and for other'rpurposes wherein. it is-d sirable to'provide'each .or'some chain links with an increased traction promotingsurface, i. e. an increased. ground engagingsurfaceun the case of a' vehicle and an :increased; goods supporting surface "in the case ofa transport :chain. For

the purpose of increasing the frictional effect of such shoes it is previouslyacommonly used to provide the. samewith freely; projecting pikes, or prods or with flanges or ribs extending perpen dicularly tothetdire'ction-of movement of the shoe. of a hard materialiuof-iigreat wearing strength, such as steel, with the consequence that when the same knock against fragile objects or when running on made roads or streets they are apt to provoke damages, both to the objects encountered, the road or street surface and to the driving means of the vehicle or to give rise to skidding when encountering hard objects, such as stones or when running on stone or stone pavement.

The object of the present invention is a shoe adapted for cooperation with objects or surfaces of any kind, without endangering the shoe itself or the driving means of the same and at the same time presenting such a frictional effect that skidding in any direction is prevented.

For this purpose a shoe according to the present invention comprises a base structure carrying a number of substantially U-shaped elements made of a yielding, resilient material arranged with the two legs of each U-shaped element following one after the other in the direction of movement of the shoe and means interconnecting the said base structure and the free ends of the said U-shaped members. When such a shoe is loaded, the U-shaped elements will carry the load while tilting over on one of the legs, thereby presenting not only asoft engagement but also a resilient friction against the surface contacting the shoe.

The base structure carrying the U-shaped elements suitably comprises a number of batten or bar formed members extending parallelly transversely to the direction of movement of the shoe and being adapted to be connected in common to a chain link, thereby providing a very simple manner of mounting. Simultaneously the arrangement of the individual U-shaped elements relatively to each other, the number of the same and the width of the shoe are all easily adaptable to the conditions under which the chain is to operate. Thus, the U-shaped elements may Such engaging devices usually are made be held betweenadjacent battensewithzthe two legs contactingteachi other; or- 'the elementsmay be so arranged that they are covering one-or I more battens and, if desired-even other U-shaped elements, to the 'eifect -that it-"is possible to: ad-

just the softness of the engagementbetween' the shoe and the surface contacted, andthe friction presented against --the: same. The' battens between which the U-shaped-elementsare clamped may be made of any suitable material, butare preferably made with surfaces' or pr-ovi'dedwith surface. portions-of increased-friction on the faces contacting the elements to beheld;to the effect that the ielementsare not only kept inposition by. means ofl'special connecting devices such as screws torib'olts, but are also held#by friction -against. thesbattens. i

The U-shaped elements may be made of any suitable material, according to the use of the chain, but for particularly heavy vehicles sucl'l as tractors, bulldozers or military vehicles it is found suitable to use sheets of vulcanized rubber, preferably of such composite construction as that used in the tread of a tire.

The accompanying drawing illustrates some embodiments of a shoe according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view partly in section of a shoe according to the invention as mounted on an associated chain link, while the Figures 2 to 5 are fractional sectional views of various forms of U-shaped elements and their base structure, and the Figures 6 to 8 are fractional plan views illustrating various distributions of the U- shaped elements relatively to a base structure.

In the drawing, I is the U-shaped elements and 2 the battens constituting the base structure and between which the elements I are held, the battens 2 being clamped together and the elements held between them by means of bolts 3, so as to make a solid assembly which may be con nected to a link of the chain. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the chain is composed of links comprising at least two mutually parallel members 4, the interconnecting pivot pins of the same being omitted for the sake of clarity, and the shoe assembly is connected to the link members 4 by means of bolts passing through holes 5 in the battens 2. As illustrated, the width of the shoe may be greater than the width of the link combination, whereby an increased shoe surface is obtained. As indicated, the exterior front and rear battens 2' of a shoe may be made of a reduced cross sectional area as compared with that of the intermediate battens 2. The battens may be made solid, for instance of hard wood or iron and provided with a friction increasing coating 6 (Figs. 2 to 5) which may be arranged around the total circumference of the batten as shown, or on such surfaces only between which the elements I are to be clamped, or the battens may be made tubular with a corresponding friction coating or they may be made solid of a material which in itself presents the desired friction, such as hard rubber.

As shown in the Figures 2 to 5, the U-shaped elements I may be arranged in various manners relatively to the battens 2 clamping the same and in the Figures 6 to 8 some examples are shown of possible distributions of the elements I relatively to each other and to the length of the battens.

I claim:

1. A traction chain shoe comprising a base structure and a plurality of substantially U- shaped elements made of a yielding, resilient material arranged with the legs of each individual U-shaped element in parallel relation substantially transversely to the principal direction of movement of the shoe, and means interconnecting the said base structure and the free ends of the legs of each of the said U-shaped elements.

2. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoe base structure comprises a plurality of mutually parallelly disposed members extending transversely to the principal direction of move-" ment of the shoe, the free end of each leg of each of the U-shaped members being clamped between adjacent base structure members.

3. A shoe as claimed in claim I, wherein the shoe base structure comprises a plurality of mutually parallelly disposed members extending transversely to th principal direction of moveaeezaae r w ment of the shoe, the free ends of both legs of a U-shaped member being clamped between adjacent base structure members.

4. A shoe as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoe base structure comprises a plurality of mutually parallelly disposed members extending transversely to the principal direction of movement of the shoe, the free ends of the legs of a U-shaped member being clamped between spaced sets of adjacent base structure members.

5. A shoe as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of mutually parallelly disposed members extending transversely to the principal direction of movement of the shoe and a number of substantially U-shaped members arranged with the free end of each of the legs of the same in clamped relation between adjacent members of the said transversely disposed members, the said members being provided with friction promoting surface portions.

6. A shoe as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of mutually parallelly disposed members extending transversely to the principal direction of movement of the shoe and a number of substantially U-shaped members arranged with the free end of each of the legs of the same in clamped relation between adjacent members of the said transversely disposed members, the said members being made of a, material of substantial surface friction effect.

7. A shoe as claimed in claim I, wherein the various U-shaped members are arranged in interspaced relation.

ARNE LARS MATHISEN.

No references cited. 

